King of Creation
Chapter 272 - 269: The Auction That Brought Despair to Luluo

Chapter 272: Chapter 269: The Auction That Brought Despair to Luluo

The gaze of Hand Extreme Bu Changtian made Ye Zhen feel as if there were thorns on his back. Ye Zhen controlled his breathing ever so slightly, walking into No. 9 Seat with very stable steps, and after a subtle indication, he sat down simultaneously with Luluo and Han Tai.

As he took his seat, Ye Zhen saw that Bu Changtian was looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

Ye Zhen met his gaze calmly and smiled in greeting.

Bu Changtian appeared slightly taken aback, then he too smiled in greeting and turned his attention elsewhere.

With Hand Extreme Bu Changtian’s level of Cultivation, even if Ye Zhen made no use of his power, he could easily sense that Ye Zhen was at the peak of the Spirit Summoning Realm.

Given his usual nature, not to mention a Martial Artist from the Spirit Summoning Realm, even a Martial Artist from the second or third stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm wouldn’t receive acknowledgment from him and would be ignored outright.

However, the Martial Artists attending today’s small auction hosted by Fragrant Pill King were mostly of distinguished status and extraordinary origin. Plus, harboring some doubts in his mind, Bu Changtian subconsciously returned the greeting with a smile.

Turning his head away, a hint of perplexity flickered in Hand Extreme Bu Changtian’s eyes. When he had locked gazes with Ye Zhen just now, Ye Zhen’s expression gave him a vague sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen those eyes somewhere before.

But after searching his memory, Bu Changtian could not recall where he had seen such eyes. Besides the facial contour, the silhouette was entirely foreign to him.

According to Bu Changtian’s own experience, a person could disguise their face and change their clothes, but usually it’s much more difficult to alter one’s silhouette.

The moment he turned his head, several familiar faces eagerly approached him, engaging in conversation, and that small sliver of doubt was momentarily forgotten by Bu Changtian.

Ye Zhen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate that he encountered Hai Luoshuang yesterday, who mentioned that his profile looked familiar to her.

To an ordinary person, both a profile and a silhouette are typically seen once then forgotten. But for Martial Artists, deliberately glancing at one would etch it deeply into their memory.

After Hai Luoshuang brought up this flaw yesterday, Ye Zhen had used the Bone Shrinking Skill to narrow his shoulders a bit, altering the silhouette of his back.

If he hadn’t made the change, there might have been a chance of being recognized by Bu Changtian today.

Bu Changtian’s eagerness to kill him, Ye Zhen, was not any less than that of the Thousand Illusion Eagle King.

Nevertheless, seeing that Bu Changtian didn’t recognize him even when face to face made Ye Zhen quite proud of himself.

The Thousand Illusion Eagle King had even issued a killing order against him, with the strong ones of Phantom Divine Sect all eager to dispatch him at the earliest. Yet, here he was, Ye Zhen, brazenly appearing in their stronghold—Divine Capital.

Suddenly, Ye Zhen somewhat understood how the Thousand Illusion Eagle King and Bu Changtian would feel if they knew he was in Divine Capital and had met without recognition.

"Greetings to True Master Tianzhu."

Suddenly, Luluo and Han Tai swiftly stood up to pay their respects, as it was True Master Tianzhu of Qingluo Sect with Wen Tianyu and another young man whom they did not recognize attending the small auction.

Luluo and the others didn’t get along with Wen Tianyu, but True Master Tianzhu’s status demanded respect, and they couldn’t afford to slight him.

Observing the sequence of Ye Zhen and others’ seats, a flash of intrigue passed through True Master Tianzhu’s eyes.

In such small social gatherings, seat order was highly regarded; the sequence of seats might very well reflect the strength and status of the guests within.

The fact that Ye Zhen and his group had entered No. 9 Seat surprised True Master Tianzhu considerably.

Even as representatives of Qingluo Sect, their seat number was only thirteen.

"Humph!"

Seeing Luluo sitting together with Ye Zhen, Wen Tianyu still appeared extremely displeased, with a look of disdain on his face.

As the guests gradually filled their seats, the murmurings increased.

This segregated seat section, separated by curtains, didn’t block out sound at all. With just a slight concentration, one could hear the conversations of everyone present very clearly.

Of course, truly private exchanges were conducted using Secret Transmission.

"I heard that the success rate of the Spirit Storage Pills wasn’t very good. Fragrant Pill King originally intended to auction two or three of them, but only nine pills were produced. After the shares were taken by those insiders, there’s only one left for today’s auction."

"Just one Spirit Storage Pill, huh? That means there will be quite a show today."

"More than just a show; don’t you know? Iron City Hu Family and Mo Family of Hidden God Manor are both determined to obtain this pill. Especially the only heir of Iron City Hu Family, with a Mid-grade Four Veins Innate Bloodline, has been raised to the peak of Spirit Summoning Realm with Spirit Crystals and Pills, and is now waiting for the Spirit Storage Pill to help him break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm."

"That’s true. The second young master of Hidden God Manor’s Mo Family has a High Grade Four Veins Innate Bloodline and is also waiting for this Spirit Storage Pill to breakthrough to the Spirit Transformation Realm in one fell swoop. At least the eldest son of Hidden God Manor has astonishing talent, unlike Iron City Hu Family who’s in such a difficult situation."

"It seems the fight for the Spirit Storage Pill will be between these two families tonight."

"Heh, Brother Wu, you’re mistaken on that," someone else chimed in. "You’re forgetting someone!"

"Who?"

"Hand Extreme Master Bu Changtian!"

"Bu Changtian? Isn’t he already at the peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm? Moreover, as soon as the Spirit Storage Pills were out of the furnace, five were taken by the Phantom Divine Sect; if he really needed one, couldn’t Bu Changtian get it?"

"Brother Wu, that’s where you’re unaware. Although Bu Changtian is formidable, have you considered how many elders from the Soul Sea Realm are there in Phantom Divine Sect?

Besides, out of those five pills, the Royal Family will claim a share. When divided up, even for someone like Bu Changtian, the spoils are scanty."

"That’s true, this is getting interesting. By the way, what does Bu Changtian want the Spirit Storage Pill for?"

"Isn’t it for his younger brother? Among the three brothers of the Bu Family, the eldest, Hand Extreme Bu Changtian, is said to have an Innate Bloodline of Heavenly Vein. The second brother, Bu Changxuan, had the Bloodline of Six Veins and was quite talented too, but unfortunately, he fell in the Battlefield of Demon Souls.

Now that the eldest brother Bu Changtian is definitely looking to advance within the Phantom Divine Sect, the Bu Family of Yun City needs the youngest brother Bu Changning to uphold the family’s facade. It is said that Bu Changning’s Bloodline talent is below Five Veins, and he did not even have a fifty percent chance of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. This must be for his younger brother."

"Ah, with these three families contending, it looks like this old man has no chance, I had wanted to compete for the Spirit Storage Pill for my third grandson to extend his life, but now it seems there is little hope, I might have come here for nothing."

"Hey, grandchildren have their own fortunes; why worry so much about it? Besides, we didn’t come here for nothing, do you think the Fragrant Pill King would let us come in vain?

Those who came are either his old friends or influential figures, so he must certainly bring out some of his treasured pills to satisfy everyone’s appetites, right?"

"Yeah...."

Listening to the conversation of the martial artists in the nearby seats, Luluo’s eyes filled with worry once again as she fretted over Ye Zhen.

Before receiving the invitation, she had worried about the invitation itself, about the qualification to attend this auction. Fortunately, she had lucked into an invitation, but the conversation of those people had frightened Luluo.

The Iron City Hu Family, Hidden God Manor, and Yun City’s Hand Extreme Bu Changtian – each family, if pulled out separately, had an awe-inspiring reputation and immense wealth.

Competing with them for the Spirit Storage Pill?

Luluo suddenly felt a sense of despair, without a trace of hope, almost wishing she hadn’t come.

Han Tai also realized this problem. Even if his, Luluo’s, and his estimate of Ye Zhen’s combined finances might be considered substantial by most in the Spirit Transformation Realm, they were nothing when compared to legacy families like the Iron City Hu Family, Hidden God Manor, and Yun City Bu Family that had been established for hundreds of years.

"Gentlemen, this lady is invited. I am the butler of the Fragrant Pill King Mansion, and I extend a very warm welcome to the three of you to visit the Fragrant Pill King Mansion. My surname is Gu, and you may call me Steward Gu."

An impeccably dressed elder appeared in the No. 9 seat where Ye Zhen and his companions were.

"As you all know, this auction is a small, private affair. If any of you have any treasures you wish to auction, you can entrust them to me for auctioning. I am confident they will fetch a good price and add to the liveliness of the event," said the butler from the Fragrant Pill King Mansion.

"Not at the moment," Ye Zhen shook his head.

"No, there is one!"

Luluo quickly stopped the butler from the Fragrant Pill King Mansion, and with gritted teeth, she pulled out the Low Grade Treasure Armor she had just acquired from Red Gold Master, "Steward Gu, this armor of mine is...."

"Luluo, what are you doing?"

"I’ve got something for auction as well." Seeing this, Han Tai also presented the Low Grade Treasure Armor he had recently acquired.

"Big Cousin, there’s only one Spirit Storage Pill available today. We need to pool as much as we can, this Low Grade Treasure Armor will help a bit."

Hearing this, Ye Zhen couldn’t help but smile wryly.

"Put it away. I have my own plans for bidding on the Spirit Storage Pill, so don’t worry about it."

"But..."

"No ’buts.’ Put it away now."

Seeing this, Steward Gu smiled and took his leave with a gesture of courtesy, "Young master, if you find that you don’t have enough funds during the auction and wish to trade items instead, you can always come find me.

Even if the item fails to sell at auction, our Fragrant Pill King Mansion will still make an evaluation based on the market price."

"Thank you!"

"If we don’t gather more to compete with the Hu Family and Hidden God Manor, what will we have to compete with?" Luluo was even more anxious than Ye Zhen, who needed the Spirit Storage Pill.

"Don’t worry about it. I have a plan and you’ll find out when the time comes."

"What plan?" Luluo looked puzzled.

"If I tell you, it won’t work anymore."

Ye Zhen’s mysterious demeanor also left Luluo’s pretty face full of curiosity.

As the sun set in the west, dozens of fist-sized Luminous Pearls were suspended above the back flower garden of the Fragrant Pill King Mansion, illuminating the garden as if it were daylight, and their luxury astonished the guests.

"Firstly, on behalf of the Fragrant Pill King, I extend a warm welcome to everyone present. As you all know, the Pill King is fond of quietude and has opted not to join us, we hope you excuse his absence." Since all the guests were acquaintances, Steward Gu spoke very casually.

"However, as today’s auction is held at the Pill King Manor, there are a few rules we need you, our honored guests, to be aware of, to prevent any unforeseen events."

"Today’s auctioneer is the best of Divine Capital’s Wind Travel Auction House, and the auction rules are similar to those of the Wind Travel Auction House’s auctions.

Still, the Pill King said that everyone here today is a friend, so whether you’re exchanging gold for Low Grade Spirit Crystals or Low Grade Spirit Crystals for gold, the exchange rate will be one hundred and twenty to one.

Additionally, fictitious bidding or fraudulent bidding is implicitly prohibited, and due to the smaller scale of the auction, all sales need to be settled on the spot. Now, please welcome Grandmaster Xu from Wind Travel Auction House to take the stage."

Amid applause, a middle-aged man with pursed lips and an astute appearance wearing a long robe stepped onto the small platform in the garden.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today’s auction items will primarily consist of pills from the Fragrant Pill King, as well as treasures sponsored by the guests. Time is of the essence, so now, please welcome the first item to the stage—the Ning Shen Jade Liquid!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)